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Karim Benzema hopes to win the Ballon d'Or before calling time on his football career. The Real Madrid striker made the revelation at a press conference ahead of Los Blancos' Champions League clash with Inter Milan.
"[Winning the Ballon d'Or] does not make me lose any sleep, although it is a dream for every player," the Frenchman was quoted as saying.
"What I want is to help the team. Every player wants to win it (the Ballon d'Or) and so do I," he added.
Real Madrid will kick-start their Champions League campaign with a clash against Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu this evening (September 15). Karim Benzema believes there are no favorites to win the coveted trophy while tipping his team to put up a great fight in the tournament.
He said:
"For me, the Champions League is the top competition and it is the one with the most pressure.
"For me there are no favorites. On the pitch, one thinks that one team will win and then another wins. We have a great team and we are going to fight to win it."
The striker also spoke about his teammate Vinicius Junior, who has been in red-hot form since the beginning of the season.
"[Vinicius] is a young player who now has experience at this club. He is scoring goals, but he helps us with other things, such as his speed. I have always been with him and I can help him more to succeed. I believe in him, he is a top player." remarked Benzema.
Karim Benzema will surely be listed among the nominees for this year's Ballon d'Or award. The attacker impressed with Real Madrid last season, bagging 30 goals and nine assists for the Spanish giants across all competitions. He also scored four times for France at the European Championship this summer.
Ballon d'Or candidates with better chances than Karim Benzema
Despite his brilliance during the year, Karim Benzema is well below a couple of players in the race for the Ballon d'Or. Paris Saint-Germain attacker Lionel Messi is considered favorite to go home with the accolade following his success with Argentina at the Copa America this summer. Messi also won the Copa del Rey with Barcelona while putting up 38 goals and 14 assists in 47 matches for the club during the 2020-21 season.
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has also enjoyed a spectacular year at club and international level. The Italian won the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup with Chelsea, while also winning Euro 2020 with his national team. Jorginho also recently won the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award and is expected to be the prime competitor alongside Messi for the award. The likes of N'Golo Kante, Kevin de Bruyne and Cristiano Ronaldo are also likely to be in the mix.
